The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Or

Thanks Boone Brux for Picking Me to Carry Onward!

It's the day after Christmas. Are you hitting the sales? I might later today. Or are you laying around feeling fat enough to hibernate for a month at least? We're celebrating the fact that we're nearly a week beyond Solstice and the sun is coming back! Slowly but surely from here until June the hours of returning daylight will slowly start increasing. And that is truly an awesome thing to celebrate!

My dear friend Boone sent me the list below and asked me to jump in on the day after Christmas, no less. But, hey, I'm game! Be sure to check out her blog for the other authors she invited to play. This Next Big Thing Blog Hop is HUGE. So much to look forward to in the coming year, including a big supply of great new books! I love books and I always want more! So here's what you can look forward to from me:

What is your working title of your book?

~ Changing Directions, but I may change it. We'll see when the book is done.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

~ It's Book Four in the Open Window series featuring those sexy Shaughnessys. It's Brennan's turn to drive me crazy. He's not as cooperative as his sister or brothers.

What genre does your book fall under?

~ Contemporary Romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

~ I really have no idea. These characters are all red heads and there is a dismaying lack of red headed actors out there. Particularly really attractive men. I'd love to see more red heads on the big screen!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

~ Brennan must make up his mind, then convince his heroine she really is his fist choice.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

~ The first part of the series was contracted by Lyrical Press. We'll have to see if they like this one when it's done.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

~ Still working on it, so I can't answer that question. Fastest book from concept to publication was That Olde Christmas Magic. From start to pub was about three weeks. That one practically wrote itself like a Christmas miracle!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

~ It will go with the other Shaughnessy books like a double blind dovetail joint.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

~ Brennan has been around since Cassidy's book. So far he's featured in every story. It's his turn. But he's been so indecisive that he's been something of a challenge.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

~ It's set in Alaska! And we'll get a peek at how the other Shaughnessy's are doing: Cassidy and Niall (Til Death Undo Us), Cayden and Candace (Courage to Live), Aiden and Azzette (Weathering the Storm - 2012 royalties go to flood relief!). We'll also see the introduction of at least one of the younger brothers, but whether it's Ethan, Declan or Finn remains a mystery.

Look for more next week. I've asked a few friends to play along by posting the same questions (with answers even!) on their blogs next week. Look for:

J. Morgan

Adriana Kraft

Gail Delaney

Doreen Orsini

Piper Denna

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season and the celebrations are all you wished them to be.

Blog Hop Day 5

Yes, sadly, we're at the end of the blog hop, but we're also down to the top ten movies on our list of all time favorite Romantic movies. Know that we argued long and hard over this. I still have bruises over most of my body and in places no man should have bruises. Morgan O. fights dirty in case you didn't know.

Be quiet before that soprano lilt to your voice becomes permanent, Jmo. Because, I'm still thinking Murphy's Romance needs to be in the top ten, but our other choices didn't allow it. 

Do you mind putting down the cattle prod? Pretty Please. I agreed Murphy's Romance was the closest thing we had to a tie for ten. However, you know as well as I do, Dennis Quaid in his prime trumps James Garner after his prime. 

So--drum roll please--without further ado,we present the Greatest Morgan Romance Movies of all time!!!!!!

10. The Big Easy
9. Romancing the Stone
8. Bridget Jones' Diary
7. The Ghost and Mrs Muir 

6. African Queen
5. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
4. Notting Hill
3. Princess Bride
2. The Quiet Man
1. Casablanca

Thanks for playing along with us. Be sure to coast through to the end and get signed up for the grand drawing. One luck winner will get a Nook loaded with ebooks, and of course, something fabulous from me, a Morgan O'Reilly tote bag and pen. Very cool stuff! Jmo has a book in there as well.  Join our blog and stay in tune with what's newest and greatest in the world of the Morgans. It's sure to be entertaining!

Day Two of the Hop

Today is day one of our countdown of Romantic Movies. Don't quibble too much over our choices, or at least their placing. Jmo and I argued long and hard over the order. I won. I'm the female, I know. I also led him into a closet with the promise of bacon flavored Oreos. He's now locked in there and I'm wondering when or if he'll figure out it's only Beggin' Strips in the bag. Hell, bacon tastes like bacon, right?

Anyhow, starting the countdown with 100 through 71. The odd numbering is so we can wind up with our top ten at the very end. The top ten is the most important, so we'll work our way there.

100. Music and Lyrics 99. Mulan 98. The King and I 97. Jerry McGuire 96. Hope Floats 95. Hitch 94. He's Just Not That Into You 93. Heaven Knows Mr. Allison 92. Hairspray 91. Grosse Point Blank 90. Four Weddings and a Funeral 89. Empire Strikes Back 88. Doc Hollywood 87. Dirty Dancing 86. Elisabeth Town 85. Cinderella 84. Chances Are 83. Bridges of Madison County 82. Beauty and the Beast 81. Aladdin 80. A Star is Born 79. 27 dresses 78. Top Gun 77. To Wong Foo 76. Tin Cup 75. The Ugly Truth 74. The Phantom of the Opera 73. The Mexican 72. The Gods Must be Crazy 71. The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain

I'm willing to bet you'll argue the placement of some, or most of our choices. You're free to do that, but this is our list, so this is how it stands. Tomorrow we'll see the next 30 down the list.


Remember to leave a comment, and if you fall off the hop, or want to start at the beginning, go to JustRomance.me and get on board!

Summer Solstice is Upon Us!

You've found the Sexy Solstice Blog Hop!! This is the stop for Morgan Q. O'Reilly and J. Morgan. If you're lost or want to find the beginning, just go to JustRomance.Me and get on board!


Starting today we're celebrating the longest days of the year with the JustRomance.Me group of bloggers and hopping from on sexy fun blog to the next!


With the exception of the queen of the frigid north, Morgan O, we're fighting summer-melt-you-into-a-puddle conditions. Ignore her whining about days in the high 70s. She doesn't know what real summer is. Okay, so she doesn't have A/C in her house. Who needs it in Alaska? Seriously, go sit on a glacier.

That said, what better way to spend those long hot summer days and nights than with the greatest romantic movies of all time, a comfy chair, and the air conditioning tickling your toes? Morgan O. and I decided to help you out by giving you our top 100 movies of all time. The electric bill is on you though. We do movies. How low you set the thermostat is all you. 


So how did we decide which movies to slip into our top 100? Simple. They're the movies we, meaning the twin Mo's, can watch over and over again. We just can't live without them. Now you have to bear with us as starting tomorrow we'll get this thing Summered up with the first 25 movies and count down until we hit that magic numero uno. 

We invite you to play along with us. Hit us with the movies you think are too low, don't belong or just hit you in the heart. Even better let us know which movies you can't live without. Believe me, our DVD shelves are over flowing like crazy, just like yours are. Yes, it's true, we have no lives. Sad isn't it? Good thing we write for a living or we'd never have a vacation.


By vacation we mean, those little trips  inside our heads, that you get to read.


So get in the game! Comment to be entered into the drawing for whatever it is we're giving away.  I know there's a Nook loaded with great reads up for the Grand Prize at the end of the hop. We'll also be doing some impromptu give-aways as the spirit moves us.


And as a bonus, if your favorite love story has not been made into a movie, tell us what it is and why you think it deserves to be on the big screen. If you just happen to mention of our our books, well, you might get special preference!  


Stick around, view the pages listed to the right and be sure to say nice things to us. We really like that!


Click Here For The Start of The Romantic Movie Countdown.
Click HERE for Part Two of the Countdown

Cupid's Choice Stops At The Morgan Diaries

Yes, it's another fun and rollicking Blog Hop put on by the awesome authors of JustRomance.me and we're playing for all we're worth this weekend and getting in the mood for Valentine's Day. If you're starting here, be sure to pick up the hop at the beginning by clicking on the link above.


Frankly, this year it's taking a little work to get in the mood. Jmo and I have both been nose to the grindstone, writing, writing, writing. Which is a good thing. A great thing! But tends to leave our significant others wondering, yet again, where we're traveling inside our heads. 


So, with romance in the air, I got to thinking about some of the most romantic moments in my life and I asked Jmo to give me a little nudge. He never disappoints. 


Jmo on Valentine's Day

It was a dark and stormy night. Not really, but we authors say that when we're struggling to come up with something genius. When it comes to Valentine's Day, that means we say it a lot, especially us guys. No matter how romantic we seem on the outside, that one day of the year scares the crap out of us. Mainly because we know nothing we do the rest of the year to show our wives how much we love them matters as much as we do this one day of the year. That said, my wife is the greatest! She never asks for much. A dinner out. Great chocolate and no Star Wars for at least the day of. I can usually manage two of those.

She, on the other hand, knows exactly how to tug my heartstrings. Every year she makes it a point to get me the most romantic thing in the world! Yep, you guessed it. A giant Reeses peanut butter heart. Hey, I'm a guy. We're simple like that. The point I'm trying to make is this. Women know men better than we know them. Men in general spend at least a good week coming up with the perfect gift, or so we think. Like women want something to make housework easier or a Quesadilla maker to, well, make us quesadillas. That realization hits us, oh, about the time our special someone tells us that the night before Valentine's Day. Which is why the local Walgreen's is bombarded and drained of not-so-nice smelling perfume and cheap heart shaped boxes of chocolates by 9am Valentine's Day. It also explains why restaurant reservations suspiciously get lost when we take you out for fine dining.

So, ladies, in advance, I'd like to apologize for my bonehead brothers in confusion. We promise to do better next year or you can kill us. It'd be so much simpler than torturing us for the rest of our lives.

Morgan's Take

So that's why we spent an hour in a crowded anteroom at Sullivan's Steakhouse last year waiting for a table? A last minute decision to go out for a late dinner on Valentine's. At least they served wine and munchies while we sat elbow to elbow with a few dozen strangers.

And while that was, in a way, very romantic, it's really hard to beat the Valentine's Day before our wedding.  Yes, there have been many good ones since, but that one, well. Let me tell you the story. There's a teeny bit of history here. 

Roses from Mr. O'Reilly many years later.
He's still romantic!

For many years my father was involved in Rotary and every year his club sold and delivered red roses. For $10, the businessman who forgot all about the day could have one dozen long stemmed red roses delivered anywhere in the city. Being the driving offspring of one Rotarian, there were a few years I got to do the delivering for him. Then there was the year I was working elsewhere and couldn't take the day to do the running. I was at my desk, working high above of busy warehouse when my sweetie arrived with a dozen red roses. He didn't say a word, just handed them to me, turned around and left. 

Curious, I went out on the balcony over looking the warehouse and watched as he walked across it to the other office and out the door. A few minutes later he came back carrying two dozen red roses. And the girls on the other side all crowded up against the window to see where he was going. He climbed the stairs, handed me the roses, turned around and went back the way he came.

Three trips, and a large bucket later, I had in my tiny office, six dozen roses. He made one more trip and came back with the seventh, and final bundle of flowers. 

I was laughing and amazed and completely won over. Again. Somewhere deep in a dark box I have a picture of all those roses. I need to dig it out. Twenty plus years later, it's a good reminder of how things started out. A good benchmark for all we've been through and how much better things are today.

Have a special Valentine's memory? Planning something big this year? One commenter will win a copy of Jmo's book The Southern Werewolf Chronicles Book Two: Were the Moon Don't Shine, which is also up for Review of the Week at Long and Short Reviews. Commenters will also be included in the big drawing for the Nook Touch which will be loaded with books, such as Morgan's Til Death Undo Us, Book 1 of the Open Windows series. Things get really hopping here and the generosity bug could take a big bite outta us and we might find more stuff to give away.

The Morgans

PS: If you haven't met us before and are curious, and who isn't really, at the top of this page, on the right, is a list of pages associated with this blog. The list includes J. Morgan's books, Morgan Q. O'Reilly's books, and a some we did together. Ya know, just in case you want more stuff to read, and who doesn't! We love to read! So dig in and enjoy.

New Release: Courage to Live

...And Other News from The Morgan Diaries


Things are hopping at TMD this week. Jmo is on a roll with his great review for Were Love Blooms from Joyfully Reviewed. (See previous post) Super happy for you, Jmo!


The second book in MorganO's Open Windows series released yesterday and already has two reviews posted. (Refresher: Book 1 Til Death Undo Us, Book 2 Courage to Live).


To read the reviews in their entirety, click on the Blog Titles below.


The first review came from Romance Book Scene, who called it "... an emotionally gripping story ..."


L.T. Blue from Just Erotic Romance Reviews said, “I found Courage to Live to be an awesome book giving huge encouragement to anyone in an abusive relationship.”


Could things get any more awesome? Sure! 


Starting Friday, Feb 10, we at TMD are participating in a Valentine's Blog Hop with a bunch of Just Romance Me authors. This means lots and lots of fun, and books, and great prizes for the blog readers who comment.

Sign up here for a reminder!

The winner of the Nook Touch will get a copy of Til Death Undo Us and we may be persuaded to come up with some other awesome swag. You'll have to stop by and see.


Until Friday, Jmo and I will be deep in our individual writing caves. Looking forward to seeing you this coming weekend!